Iran pushes to restore Egypt relations

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Published Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Iran is keen on restoring diplomatic relations with Egypt, severed more than three decades ago, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Tuesday.

In an interview published in Egypt's state-run al-Ahram newspaper, the minister said Tehran hoped to establish relations of “friendship and brotherhood” with Cairo.

"We will pursue this path, and restoration of relations depends only on protocol measures," he said.

Salehi said Egypt's revolution last year that led to the toppling of US-backed dictator Hosni Mubarak had "opened a new chapter in Egypt's relations with the outside world."

He added the he welcomed the decision by Egyptian president Mohammed Mursi to attend a Non-Aligned Movement summit later this month in Tehran.

Mursi will take part in the August 30 summit at which the NAM presidency will be passed from Egypt to Iran.

It will be the first such visit since Tehran severed diplomatic ties with Cairo in 1980 to protest the 1979 Camp David peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.

NAM is comprised of 120 countries that consider themselves independent of alliances with any world super power.

Mubarak did not trust Iran and improved relations with Israel.

Last week at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Mecca, Mursi proposed the formation of a committee grouping Egypt with key players Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to try to find a settlement to the conflict in Syria.

(AFP, Al-Akhbar)

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Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2012-08-21 22:07.

YES! Egypt needs to CHANGE THE COURSE and HIGH TIME RESTORED THE TIES
With Iran! Islam DESPERATELY NEEDS this RIGHT NOW!
As there is no SHIA or Sunni we are all brothers and sisters only outsiders are happy that Muslims are killing each other!

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